A.Word.A.Day

A.Word.A.Day--ha-ha

ha-ha (ha-ha) noun

Sunk fence.

[From French haha, reduplicative of ha!, exclamation of surprise, that might
come out when tripped by such an obstacle.]

"They covet our haha fences, tucked out of view by ditches and so named
because of their surprise value."
Tina Kelley, Zoo Nice To See You: Woodland Park Basks In Spotlight,
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Sep 19, 1995.

Instead of explaining in a thousand words what a ha-ha looks like,
I'll show you a picture.
Etymologists claim we got the word ha-ha from ha!, the sound one might
exclaim on getting tripped by that trap, otherwise known as a sunken
fence. I'm sure they have done their research and are right. But I
can't help thinking it might have been derived from the laughter of
a French aristocrat when an unsuspecting guest tripped while visiting
his chateau.

Ah-ha, that gives me an idea, just in time for this April Fool's Day!
I think I'll call a landscape designer.

"Hi, Mr. Dougwell? I'd like to order a ha-ha around my apartment."
"You'd like to order what?"
"Ha-ha! You think you can do it by next week? I've some visitors coming
over. And don't forget to bring your Hard Hat and Hack Hammer."

All kidding aside, what's the brouhaha about this thing? In the 18th
century someone came up with the clever idea of a fence that let the
property owner have an unhindered view of the landscape, giving an
illusion of contiguous land, while protecting him from trespass. Here's
a fascinating essay
on the deeper meanings of ha-ha.

Well, this week's words may give you an impression that I'm playing an
April Fool's prank on you, but that's not true. All words featured this
week, as in any week, are real dictionary words. -Anu

X-Bonus

Solitude, though it may be silent as light, is like light, the mightiest of
agencies; for solitude is essential to man. All men come into this world
alone; all leave it alone. -Thomas De Quincey, writer (1785-1859)